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Poly Taffeta Anorak for Spring

I have a confession to make, I love to make jackets, from outerwear to blazers to cardigans. I love to have a closet full of outerwear options for any kind of weather condition. So when this Mood Fabrics’ Soft Floral Outerwear appeared online, I knew it had to be shipped to my home.

Recently, I have been trying to change my online shopping habits. You see I am very impulsive and visual, once the fabric picture draws me in I hit the order button like I am under hypnosis. To rectify this impulsiveness, I have started reading all the fabric descriptions, after all the people at Mood do such a great job describing each fabric. Here is the outerwear’s description: “This polyester taffeta-like fabric would make a stylish trenchcoat or anorak, with its soft, washed floral print. Pretty shades of purple and charcoal. Crisp like a taffeta, medium-weight. ” That sealed the deal. I clicked buy and knew a new outerwear garment was in my future.

I had an idea in my head to use McCall’s 6531, an anorak jacket. I’d had it in my stash for quite some time and it was just waiting for the perfect fabric. The soft floral is a perfect fabric for this jacket.

Let me tell you this jacket does take quite a bit of time to make, because there are so many details. Pockets with gussets, cuffs, sleeve tabs, front flap, elastic casing, and I used flat felled seams to make the inside look so nice.

This is one project I was happy to have a deadline. The Olympics always draw me in and I am mesmerized with the stories and the events. Each night I would designate some part of the jacket to complete, then I would treat myself with the Olympics! Some of the incredible weather in Sochi would have been perfect for this jacket. It is just right for a cool spring day.

I used a Schmetz 90 Microtex needle, which worked perfectly with this fabric. Some things I learned from this garment, I added one inch to the length of the sleeves and they are still a bit short. This isn’t too much of an issue, since I will wear the sleeves rolled up for the style. Also, for each element on one side of the jacket, I double checked the placement on the opposite side. The pockets were one of these elements but the elastic casing was the most important – meeting in the middle is an important part. I measured from the bottom of the jacket at the front, side seams to keep the casing even.

The pattern calls for sew-on snaps but I had Snap Source snaps in my stash and used these instead. I love the look of these, a bit more RTW and no hand sewing. I tried on the jacket to double check the elastic placement and it matched the pattern placement. I also used this for the snaps, which I wished I had not done. I really felt like I thought out every step of this jacket except this last one. The snap should have been placed at the elastic to keep the front flap from pulling and then space the snaps out equally.

Wow, this turned out beautifully! I LOVE all the details, especially the curved hem and the collar. Absolutely fantastic! I’m a bit of a jacket addict myself and can’t seem to stop plotting out more jackets!